Julian Assange and Sarah Palin: The Secret Semblance, Revealed!

Today’s edition of The Australian contains an editorial by Julian Assange, the vagabond WikiLeaks commander who presented himself to British police this morning. The piece commences with accolades for conservative megalomaniac and billionaire Rupert Murdoch and his father, Keith. It nears its conclusion with a criticism of Barack Obama. And throughout the editorial, Assange discusses his dissimilarity with vanguard journalistic institutions, his distrust of big government, and his contempt for people in positions of power. Never has he sounded so much like Sarah Palin (sans faux-folksy aphorisms). See if you can tell the difference between a statement from Assange’s editorial and a pronouncement culled from Palin’s celebrated career as southern Alaska’s premier media critic. • A. “I grew up in a [redacted] country town where people spoke their minds bluntly. They distrusted big government as something that could be corrupted if not watched carefully.”

• B. “We need to be aware of the creation of a fearful population, and fearful lawmakers, being led to believe that big government is the answer
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• C. “I will speak to reporters who still understand that cornerstone of our democracy, that expectation that the public has for truth to be reported. And then we get to decide our own opinion based on the facts reported to us.”

• D. “Well that's why I don't talk to some of these reporters who are a part of this yellow journalism world of not using name sources I think it’s very unprofessional. And I to with a journalism degree I learned back in the day that who, what, when, where, why of journalism. You report that facts you let other people decide what their opinion is going to be.”

• E. “Scientific journalism allows you to read a news story, then to click online to see the original document it is based on. That way you can judge for yourself: Is the story true? Did the journalist report it accurately?”

• F. “When we the people are effective in holding America’s free press accountable for responsible and truthful reporting, then we shall all have even more to be thankful for.”

• G. “How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it’s about country.”

• H. “First you know even the content and I haven't read the article yet but it sounds like content is coming from the GOP the establishment the self-proclaimed elite as named as sources.”

• I. “[Redacted] says I should be ‘hunted down like Osama bin Laden.”

• J. “Why was [redacted] not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?”